COVID-19 - the impact on wellbeing of the dental team in a secondary care urgent dental hub

Introduction Dentistry in the UK has been thrown into turmoil as COVID-19 made its mark on the nation. The sudden shift in daily life has had a huge impact on the dental workforce. As the pandemic continues to ravage across the globe, we must look at ways of maintaining patient care and the wellbeing of staff. It becomes prudent to reflect on experiences to date and lessons learnt, which is illustrated through this study investigating the effect on the wellbeing of the dental team in a single unit hospital setting. Materials and methods Fourteen focus groups were held including multiple grades on a voluntary basis, with a discussion schedule including suitable prompts. Responses were transcribed, maintaining anonymity throughout, and thematic analysis was performed on the verbatim transcript to identify common themes and direct quotes. Results Key themes that were highlighted included anxiety, safety concerns, teamwork, family and redeployment. The themes of anxiety and safety were further explored, identifying participant discussion of feeling isolated, confusion, and specific concerns about PPE and transport to work. Conclusion This study identifies reasons to establish support networks for the dental workforce across the UK, highlighting the true adaptability of the dental team and the ability to break barriers to aid in combating a global pandemic.